Spotlight & Giveaway: Shy Innocent in the Spotlight by Melanie Milburne

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Melanie Milburne to HJ!

Hi Melanie Milburne and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Shy Innocent in the Spotlight: An Uplifting International Romance (The Scandalous Campbell Sisters Book 1)!

 
Hello! Great to be here!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

A shy and sheltered identical twin sister swaps places at a glamorous wedding but gets stuck wearing her extravert twin’s shoes for longer than she planned!
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

There was a silence that was so intense Elspeth was sure she heard a rose petal drop from the flower arrangement on the antique table in front of the windows.
Then the silence was broken by the click-clacking sound of approaching footsteps and before Elspeth could put some distance between her and Mack, Sabine came in with a wide smile. ‘Oh, here you two are. What on earth are you up to in here?’ Her eyes twinkled like a fairy godmother on a matchmaking mission.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

It is always fun writing the twin swap trope. I haven’t done it in book form in ages, so it was great fun setting up the plot. I co-wrote a screenplay a few years ago about male identical twins swapping places for a wedding rehearsal. I’d like to tell you it was made into a blockbuster movie, but sadly, like a lot of screenplays, it didn’t go anywhere. But it was a fabulous experience, especially when Hollywood story consultant John Truby gave us revision suggestions. That was a pinch me moment, so was having lunch with him in L.A.
 

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Mack is drawn to Elspeth from his first glimpse of her. He has a sense she isn’t anything like her extroverted party girl reputation but it takes him a while to realise why. Elspeth has little experience with dashingly handsome men, so when Mack singles her out, she is nervous about having her cover blown but drawn to his magnetic personality.
 

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

I loved writing the scenes where Mack knows Elspeth’s real identity but she doesn’t know he knows. Here is one…

He gave an answering smile that made her heart flutter. ‘I’m glad you like it here.’ His voice was low and deep and rough.
‘How could I not? It’s the most stunning place I’ve ever been to.’ Eek! Elspeth suddenly remembered all the stunning locations her twin had been to. Photos of Elodie were all over the Internet, posing beside spectacular views of mountains, beaches, rainforests—you name it, Elodie had been there. Would he pick up on her slip?
Mack’s hands went to her hips, holding her within a hair’s breadth from his powerful male body. ‘But you’ve been to so many exotic locations for your work, have you not? This must hardly compare.’ His gaze was unwavering and it made her heart beat all the harder and she could feel her cheeks heating up in spite of the cool Highland breeze.
‘This is the sort of place I love the most,’ Elspeth said, conscious of heat crawling over her face. ‘It’s so peaceful and timeless. If you look out there—’ she pointed to the view across the valley ‘—there’s nothing to anchor you to this century. We could be from any time in the past. Don’t you find that amazing?’
Mack framed her face in his large hands, his gaze dipping to her mouth. ‘What I find amazing is how I’ve resisted kissing you until now. Would you mind?’
Elspeth licked her lips with a nervous flick of her tongue. ‘No… I mean yes, I want you to kiss me.’
His mouth came down to press against hers in a feather-light touchdown. He lifted his lips off hers and came down again, a little firmer this time as if driven by a pounding need for closer contact. The same pounding need that was barrelling through her own body. She gave a soft little whimper and linked her arms around his neck, opening her lips to the commanding probe of his tongue. Heat exploded inside her, molten heat that travelled to the centre of her womanhood, moistening and swelling tender tissues as primal need took over.
Mack groaned and angled his head for deeper access, one of his hands sliding into the thickness of her hair. ‘I’ve wanted to do this from the moment I met you.’ He growled against her lips.
Elspeth planted a series of short hot kisses to his lips. ‘What took you so long?’

Readers should read this book….

If they love a twin swap trope set in the Scottish Highlands, with a happy ending, of course!
 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I have just finished book one of a wedding-themed trilogy and will be starting book two once I’ve done the revisions on book one. My next release is A Contract for His Runaway Bride in November, which is Elspeth’s twin Elodie’s story.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A signed copy of “Shy Innocent in the Spotlight” for one reader.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: If you could magically swap places with someone else for the day, who would it be and why?

 
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Excerpt from Shy Innocent in the Spotlight: An Uplifting International Romance (The Scandalous Campbell Sisters Book 1):

‘Elodie! You look amazing as always.’ Sabine did the air-kiss thing and stood back to run her gaze over Elspeth’s outfit…well, her twin’s outfit, that was. ‘That blue is so stunning on you. And your make-up is so professional and we haven’t even had the make-up artist, Maggie, do her magic on you yet.’
‘Oh, this old thing?’ Elspeth waved a hand in front of her twin’s outfit in exactly the same dismissive manner Elodie would have used. ‘You look lovely too. I’m sure you’ll be the most gorgeous bride ever.’ Okay, well, maybe her twin wouldn’t have laid on the compliments quite so enthusiastically but Elspeth thought Sabine was a very pretty girl-next-door type who was positively glowing with happiness. It made her wonder if falling in love with the man of her dreams could work the same magic on her. As if. Who was going to fall in love with a girl who couldn’t walk past a bowl of nuts without having a panic attack?
‘I’m so honoured you could find time in your busy schedule to be my bridesmaid,’ Sabine said. ‘It means the world to me. You’re such a fantastic role model at how to look fabulous without even trying.’
Without even trying? Elspeth had to hold back a spluttering laugh. She had been trying to turn herself into a glamour queen for the last two hours. Sheesh. How did her twin do this every day? It was positively exhausting.
‘It’s a privilege to be here,’ Elspeth said with a smile. ‘It’s such a beautiful place to hold a wedding.’
‘I know, right? Mack, Fraser’s brother, was so generous to let us use it,’ Sabine said. ‘Have you had something to eat?’ She beckoned over a waiter who was carrying an array of delicious-looking finger food on a silver tray. ‘These are scrumptious. I’ve had three of them already.’
Elspeth studied the tray of food for a brief moment, deciding against taking anything off it. She had two EpiPens in her clutch purse but the last thing she wanted to do was blow her cover in the first hour by triggering her allergy. She had considered quietly alerting the catering staff to her dietary issue but decided against it. It would draw far more attention to herself than she wanted, especially as there was no record of her twin ever having an allergy. Who knew if a paparazzo was lurking about ready to leak something to the press? It was easier to avoid eating. Besides, she had fresh fruit and nut-free cookies in her suitcase. There was a lot she would do for her twin but starving herself was not one of them. ‘Thank you but I’m not hungry.’
‘No wonder you’re so slim,’ Sabine said with a rueful grimace. ‘I could never be as disciplined as you are. I love my food too much.’ She looked past Elspeth’s shoulder and smiled a broad smile. ‘Let me introduce you to your host and bridal-party partner for the weekend.’ She took Elspeth by the arm and led her to the other side of the room. ‘Mack, this is Elodie Campbell, the famous lingerie model I was telling you about.’
Mack MacDiarmid turned around and met her gaze for the second time that day. A frisson passed over her flesh, her heart rate sped up and her mouth went dry. He was taller than she had calculated—at least six foot four—with broad shoulders and piercing grey-blue eyes framed by prominent eyebrows. His hair was dark brown with one or two threads of silver at the temples giving him a distinguished, old-before-his-years aura. His hair was slightly wavy and casually styled with one or two curls kinked over his forehead, lending him a rakish look that made her heart flutter. His square jaw hadn’t seen a razor in a day or two, which should have made him look unkempt but somehow did the opposite. The designer stubble was rich and dark with a light sprinkling of silver throughout that, if anything, made him even more heart-stoppingly attractive.
‘How do you do?’ Mack held out his hand and she slipped hers into its firm clasp. If his Scottish accent and whisky-rough voice weren’t enough to dazzle her senses, his touch more than completed the job. His skin was dry and warm, his fingers long and tanned, and a zap of electricity shot from his hand to hers with lightning-fast speed.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Elspeth Campbell’s sheltered existence means she’s hesitant to swap places with her exuberant twin for a glamorous wedding. But the social spotlight is nothing compared to the laser focus of Mack MacDiarmid’s undivided attention…
Having witnessed his father’s double life, cynical Mack’s certain the supposed socialite isn’t who she seems. And when she’s embroiled in a scandal not of her making, he tells Elspeth the pretence is up! He longs to show her she’s already the strong, sexy woman she wants to be…but is that all Mack can offer?
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Meet the Author:

Melanie Milburne read her first Harlequin at age seventeen in between studying for her final exams. After completing a Masters Degree in Education she decided to write a novel and thus her career as a romance author was born. Melanie is an ambassador for the Australian Childhood Foundation and is a keen dog lover and trainer and enjoys long walks in the Tasmanian bush. In 2015 Melanie won the HOLT Medallion, a prestigous award honouring outstanding literary talent.
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